A World without Heroes
by kayli12
Summary: When the children of the members of the Avengers and Justice League are transported to our dimension, they are confused, lonely, and angry. What brought them to this strange place, or more importantly, who? Will they be able to return to their homes, or will they remain in this place that thinks of them as frauds?
1. Chapter 1

Prologue:

Kaysa stared over at the clock, counting down the seconds. Three more minutes and she would be free from school. She tapped her fingers against the desk impatiently. Time seemed to slow down, making those three minutes feel more like three hours. She sighed and looked over at the desk to her right.

Her heart gave a little flutter at the sight of James Rogers. She quickly tucked a piece of hair behind her ear as he looked over at her and smiled. She grinned back, trying to hide her embarrassment at being caught staring. She knew he wouldn't actually think anything of it. James and Kaysa had been best friends their whole lives, and throughout those many years, James had remained completely oblivious to her feelings.

She looked away and pushed the feelings of frustration down. She wanted to enjoy the moment. In two minutes her summer would begin, and she was determined to make it a good one. Most of her plans included training, but she made sure to plan a few 'normal' things. This would be her last summer as a regular teenage girl. Right after she graduated, she would be able to finally become a hero.

The bell rang, releasing her from her prison. She jumped to her feet, gathering her things. A smile crept sprang onto her face as she walked out of class, heading for the doors. As she passed through them, she was stopped by her friends.

"I'll miss you so much!" One of her closest friends, Mackenzie, said. Mackenzie threw her arms around her. "Do you _really _have to go visit your grandparents _all_ summer?"

Kaysa faked a sad smiled and nodded. She hated lying to her friends. All of them thought she was going to her grandparents, when she was really headed to the training cabin with her family and the Rogers. She didn't really understand why she had to keep it a secret. All of them knew who her father really was. Besides, attending a S.H.I.E.L.D school meant that the kids could most likely be trusted. Mackenzie's father was a high-ranking S.H.I.E.L.D officer. There was no way she would tell anyone where Kaysa was going.

She was able to finally disentangle herself from her friends, and headed to the red truck in the parking lot. She leaned against it, checking her phone for any text messages.

"You ready to go?"

She looked up at James and nodded, climbing into the car. "It's over, James!" She exclaimed with a bright smile. "We're free!"

He laughed at her, shaking his head. "Come on, Kaysa, school wasn't _that _bad."

"Yes it was! Admit it; you're just as happy as I am."

He shrugged. "I'm actually going to kind of miss school."

She stared at him blankly. Did he really think she was that stupid? "No you're not."

"Yeah, I'm really not," he agreed quietly with a grin. "But considering the fact that Mr. Hanson is driving behind us, and the windows are down, I didn't want to sound too eager."

Kaysa's eyes widened and she whipped around, looking for her math teacher's car. "Where?"

James burst into laughter. "I can't believe you actually fell for that one."

"That was so mean!" She said, punching James lightly in the shoulder.

"Sorry!" He chuckled. "But you should have seen your face!"

"Dork," she said, rolling her eyes.

When they arrived home, Kaysa was hesitant to leave. Both of their mothers had been best friends for life, so she was lucky enough to live right next door to James. But even with how much they got together, she never felt like she got to spend enough time with her best friend.

"Are you coming to dinner tonight?" Kaysa asked.

"That's the plan," James told her. "I'll see you at six."

"Ok," she said just a little too happily. She stepped out of the car, practically bouncing up the steps to her door. She opened her door, waving to James. Her bag was tossed to the side as she pulled off her sneakers. "I'm home!"

"Oh, Kaysa!" She heard her mother, Kayli, say. "Can you come in here? We're in the living room."

Kaysa walked into the living room, surprised to see her father, Thor, was home. He was sitting on the couch with one arm around her mom's shoulders, and the other holding an object wrapped in a shimmery gold fabric.

She stopped, eyeing the long object. She took a few steps closer, gently touching it. "What is it?"

"It is yours," Thor said, handing the object to his daughter.

Kaysa sat on the floor, placing the wrapped gift onto her lap. After untying the string that secured the fabric, she unwrapped it and gasped.

It was a spear.

"Dad, is this…?"

He nodded. "Its name is Ascalon. It was forged in Asgard specially for you. Its powers are similar to Mjölnir's."

She stood up, holding the spear in one hand. She liked the feel of it. It almost felt like an extension of her arm. Carefully, she gave it a few swings. It was the perfect weight, not too heavy or too light.

"It's perfect," she said in a reverent tone. "Thank you. But, I have to ask, why now? I thought I wasn't supposed to get a weapon until I graduated?"

Kayli smiled at her daughter. "This year we want you to really try and focus on your training. Your dad thought it would be easier to do so with your weapon."

"Yes," Thor said with a nod. "You do like it?"

"I love it!" She flung her arms around her father's neck. "Thank you."

"You are welcome, Kaysa."

"The fun has arrived!" Annika, Kaysa's younger sister, sung. The ten year old bounced into the living room, immediately giving her parents a quick kiss on the cheek, and then gave her older sister a hug. She drew back, her eyes widening at the sight of the spear in Kaysa's hands.

"Is that it?" Annika asked excitedly. Before Kaysa could even finish nodding, she continued. "Oh, it's so beautiful, isn't it? It's perfect for you, Kaysa! I hope someday I'll get a weapon like that!"

"I'm sure you will," Kayli said. "But you still have a while until you need to worry about that. Right now, I need both of you to go upstairs and pack your things. We're leaving early tomorrow morning, and the Rogers are coming to dinner in a couple of hours, so I would try and hurry."

Annika groaned. "But Mom, I _hate _packing."

"Maybe if you ask nicely, Kaysa will help you."

"Come on, Munchkin," Kaysa said, clapping her sister on the back. "Let's go get you packed."

As Kaysa walked to her shared room, spear in hand, she couldn't help but feel that it was going to be an amazing summer.

If only she knew just how bad it was about to get.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter One:

James stared down at the shield on his lap. He couldn't believe his parents had really been able to get him one of his own. It looked a lot like his dad's shield, maybe a little smaller. He briefly wondered how much it had cost his parents to obtain the rare Vibranium. A surge of gratitude shot through him. The shield was the best present he had ever been given, and he couldn't wait to use it.

He grinned as he thought of how jealous Kaysa would be. She had always complained about her parents' insistence that she wait until her eighteenth birthday to get a weapon. James never really understood why she wanted one so much. Even without a weapon, she was very powerful. She never could see that, though.

James shook his head, rolling his eyes. Girls and their stupid insecurities. Kaysa was constantly pointing out her every flaw and blowing it up to huge proportions. Whenever he tried to compliment her, she would just snort and wave it away. Even after the sixteen years they had known each other, he didn't completely understand her.

Lately Kaysa had been acting strangely. Whenever she looked at him, there was something odd in her eyes that James couldn't name. He wanted to ask her about it, but he didn't know how to. Besides, she would probably get over it soon.

He put his shield down, throwing a dozen pairs of socks into his suitcase. Glancing at the clock he swore under his breath, tossing various things into his suitcase. He and his family were supposed to be at Kaysa's house in a few minutes.

There was a knock at his door. "Come in!" He called, adding a few items to the pile on the suitcase.

His mom walked through the door. "Are you ready?" Rachel asked. "We have to leave in a couple of minutes."

"Yup, I'm all packed."

Rachel glanced at his suitcase, raising her eyebrows. "You call that 'all packed?'"

"I was in a rush," James explained with a grimace. "I'll finish after we get back."

"I don't know if you can go tonight."

"Please?" He asked, flashing his charming smile.

She rolled her eyes. "James, you know that doesn't work on me anymore."

"Come on, Mom," he said, keeping the smile on his face.

"Fine!" She sighed. "But when we get back you _have _to pack, deal?"

"Deal."

Rachel left the room, sighing silently at the mess in her son's room. She shook her head, relieved that her daughter, Ally, wasn't as messy.

James glanced around his room, picking up a random pair of socks that may or may not be clean, and slipped them onto his feet. He smelled his shirt. _Not too bad, _he thought with a shrug. Tugging on some sneakers, he ran into the main room where his parents and little sister were waiting.

"Can you grab the salad?" Steve asked.

"Sure," James said, picking up the dish. From the way it was all just thrown in, he guessed it was his mom who had made it. He thanked the heavens they had been invited over for dinner. Tonight was Rachel's turn to cook dinner, and her specialty was Kraft Mac n Cheese.

They arrived at the house at the same time as Arik, Kaysa's younger brother.

"Where were you so late?" Steve asked him.

"A friend's house," Arik shrugged. "Just saying goodbye."

They were greeted by Kayli who quickly ushered them into the back yard. James spotted Kaysa and hurried over to sit by her.

"Hey," he said. "Guess what I got today?"

"What?" She asked.

"A shield!"

She grinned. "That's awesome, James! I got a spear today!"

"What?" He exclaimed, slapping his leg. "Dang."

She stuck her tongue out at him, and he returned the favor. "You look like such a dork," she laughed, looking into his eyes.

There was that look again. He opened his mouth to voice the question he had been dying to ask, but quickly snapped it shut. It was the beginning of summer, and he wanted that night to be a happy one. There would be plenty of time to ask her later.

"So, what are we having for dinner?" Rachel asked, standing next to Thor.

Kayli rolled her eyes. "We were _supposed _to have steak, but Thorey here doesn't know how to use the grill we bought, and of course he won't let me try."

"Hey, I can do this," Thor insisted. "Besides, I do not want you to burn yourself." He rubbed his arm, where the hairs were completely singed off.

"You should let her give it a go," Steve said. "Kayli knows how to do these things better."

"I am not stupid, I can figure this out."

Kayli grinned and looked over at Rachel. "That could be argued," she whispered to her best friend, who burst into laughter.

"I heard that!" Thor told them, shaking his head at Kayli. "Why are you always so mean to me?"

"It's because I love you," she said, patting his cheek. "Now step aside and let me try."

He sighed and moved. "Fine, but you will not be able to…" Thor's voice trailed off as the grill lit up without any problem. "You got lucky!"

"Sure," Rachel laughed. "Whatever floats your goat."

Kayli glanced over at her husband, raising an eyebrow. "Do you think you can handle cooking these?"

"Yes," he said, taking the plate of meat. "I—"

Whatever he was about to say was lost in raging wind that came from nowhere. Thor's eyes widened as a wall of green energy approached their backyard. "Get inside the house!" He roared, grabbing Annika and throwing her over his shoulder. They began to run towards the door, when all of them stopped, completely frozen.

They couldn't move, couldn't even breathe. Thor struggled against his invisible bonds, his eyes drifting from Arik to Kaysa to Annika, finally resting on Kayli. The wall approached faster now. In only a few seconds it would pass over them.

Steve felt a cold hand of fear over his heart. He had to get his family out of here! But as he looked at his wife and daughter, he had a feeling they would be ok. When he glanced at James, he knew. Whatever was happening, it had something to do with his son and Kaysa.

The wall passed over them, and everything went black.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three:

As Rudy West crossed the finish line, he tried his hardest to fight back a yawn. He bent over double, faking that he was tired. He wiped imaginary sweat off his forehead, hiding the grin that crept onto his face.

"You broke your record!" Coach Walker said, patting Rudy on the back. "A four minute mile! You've got some amazing talent, kid!"

"Thanks, Coach," Rudy said with a smile. He wondered what his coach would say if he found out just how easy that had been for him. His current record was a four _second_ mile. Of course, he could never actually tell Coach Walker that. When Rudy had joined the track team, he had promised his parents he would try his hardest to keep his power hidden.

He smiled at all his teammates as they congratulated him, but didn't hear a single thing they said. His dad was coming home that night, and he was anxious to see him again. Wally had been gone for over a week, on some mission for the Justice League.

Gathering his things, he left the field, forcing himself to walk. The urge to run as fast as he could was almost overpowering, but after thirteen years of hiding his identity he had learned some self-control.

He ran a hand through his red hair, wondering where his dad had been for a week. He tapped a finger against his pants, his impatience becoming unbearable. Rudy was extremely close to his father, and it was hard for him to have his dad gone so often.

He walked into the apartment, heading immediately for the kitchen. "Hey, Mom, where's all the chips? I could have sworn we bought a couple of bags yesterday!"

"Are you looking for this?" A voice said from behind him. Rudy turned around, a smile splitting his face as he saw his dad standing there, still in costume, with a bag of chips.

"You're home!" Rudy exclaimed. "Now give me the chips."

"Wow, is that any way to greet your old man?"

Rudy grinned, and reached for the bag of chips. Wally laughed, holding it just above his son's reach. "Aw, come on, Dad! I'm starving."

"You think _you're _starving? I've been running all day! No, these are my chips."

"I'll race you for it," Rudy said with a glint in his eyes.

"Fine," Wally said with a nod. "Ready? One…"

"Are you guys racing again?" Lezvie asked, walking into the kitchen. She shook her head at her husband and son. "Last times you guys totally wrecked the living room up. If you guys race, can you _please _do it outside?"

"Sure," Wally said to her with a shrug, zipping out of the house.

"Go beat him for me," Lezvie told Rudy. "I'll give you twenty bucks."

"Will do, Mom."

Rudy ran outside, tugging a mask on. He didn't even have to pause to think where his father was. He ran straight to the abandoned building a few blocks away. The abandoned was usually where Rudy trained. No one had ever been there for years, making it the perfect place.

"Finally!" Wally exclaimed when his son entered the building. "What's taken you so long?"

"Just trying to give you a head start," Rudy said.

"Ready? One…Two…Go!"

Wally started running, with Rudy soon following. "Cheater!" Rudy yelled, pumping his legs as fast as he could. His father was about a dozen feet ahead. If he really tried, he might be able to catch up with him.

With a laugh, Wally suddenly turned a corner. Rudy had to slow down, barely missing the narrow alley. He nearly collided with an elderly man and quickly gave his apologies before turning around and heading into the alley. He slowed again, his eyes widening at the green wall approaching him. He rolled his eyes. "Very funny!" He yelled. "This isn't going to stop me, Dad!"

Without a second thought he charged it head on.

Blood poured down her knuckles, but that didn't stop Ash Wayne. Her fists slammed into the punching bag over and over again. Her hands hurt like hell, but the pain calmed her. Pain was something she knew how to deal with. It was familiar, easy.

At least she knew how to deal with _physical _pain. The hurt inside was something else entirely. She scowled, hitting the bag harder than usual. She both heard the crack that sounded and winced. "Damn it all!" She hissed, cradling her injured hand. Ash sat down on the floor cross legged, carefully examining her hand. She bent it this way and that, until she was satisfied that it wasn't broken. She cursed at herself, shaking her head. Ash should have known better. Letting her anger control her had been wrong and immature.

She closed her eyes, remembering the source of her anger.

_It all began that morning. At about four a.m., Ash had quietly snuck into her house and into bed. She had done it. She had stopped her first crime. Sure, all she had done was stopped a small market robbery, but it was her first step towards becoming a true hero. _

_And better yet, she hadn't been caught by her parents._

_As the daughter of Catwoman and Batman, Ash had been trained her entire life to fight. But no matter how good she got, her parents refused to let her use her gifts. They wouldn't even let her try and help them! It was frustrating, and the previous night, Ash had decided to do something about it._

_And she had succeeded. _

_She spent the rest of the day feeling pretty smug with herself. Her parents were wrong. She was old enough to do things by herself. After all, how many fifteen year olds could do what she had done? _

_But then, sometime late afternoon, her father had approached her._

_"Ash, I want to see you in my study. Now," Bruce said, giving his daughter a stern look._

_Nervously, Ash had entered the room, slumping into the chair across from her father's desk. _Maybe he doesn't know, _she had thought. _Maybe this is about something else entirely.

_Bruce sat in his chair, scowling at his daughter in disapproval. He was pissed. She tried to be hopeful, but Ash doubted that there was any way this _wasn't _about her little stunt the previous night. _

_"Tim said he saw you come in at four this morning," Bruce told her. "Is this true?"_

_"Yes, Dad," Ash admitted._

_"What were you doing?" _

_She remained silent, nervously shifting in her seat. _

_"Ashlyn Martha Wayne, tell me what you were doing."_

_She rolled her eyes. "You already know what I was doing."_

_"I want to hear it from you."_

_"I stopped a robbery, ok? Happy?"_

_Bruce shook his head. "Ash! You know better than to do that! What have your mother and I told you?"_

_"But it's stupid!" She complained. "I'm old enough to do this!"_

_"You're only fifteen!"_

_"Dad, you've trained me to do this my entire life! I'm ready!"_

_"Obviously not. If you were, you would have been able to accept our decision."_

_"But your decision is wrong!"_

_"It doesn't matter what your opinion is, as your parents you have to do what we ask."_

_"That isn't fair!"_

_"Life isn't fair, Ash. Now, as a punishment, you're grounded for a month."_

_She stood, sending her chair to the ground. "For helping someone? I'm ground for helping someone?! You can't do this!"_

_"Yes I can, and I just did."_

_She stared at him for a while, fists clenched and nostrils flaring. "I hate you," she hissed before turning and running as fast as she could. _

_Ash didn't realize where she was heading until she was standing in front of the cave she had trained in. She immediately began doing anything she could to take her mind off of her father._

Ash returned to the present, and opened her eyes. The anger and hurt still swelled within her chest, making her feel almost sick. Why did her parents still treat her like she was a child?! She was fifteen years old! She could handle herself.

She slumped against the wall, placing her head between her knees. She didn't even notice anything wrong when everything went black.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four:

When Kaysa woke up next to a red-headed kid, her first thought was that she was dreaming. She stared blankly at the boy, waiting for him to simply disappear. She wasn't sure how long she lay there looking at him, but it seemed to her at least a few minutes.

She sat up straight, wincing at the white flash of pain in her head. Somewhat blurry eyed, she looked around at her surroundings, becoming more and more confused. The ground underneath her was flat and concrete, and after a few moments she guessed that she was on top of a building.

A bubble of panic swelled inside of her, choking her. Where was her family? Where was James? Where was _she_? She looked back at the boy, who began to stir. Who was he? Maybe this really was just a dream. She shut her eyes tight, convinced that when she opened them again she would be back in her bed.

But when she opened her eyes, she was still on the building sitting next to the boy. She pressed a hand to her throbbing head, trying to remember what had happened. She remembered being in her backyard with her family and the Rogers, laughing with James and then…nothing.

"Come one," she said through gritted teeth, trying harder to dig up her memories. No matter how hard she tried, however, she couldn't remember a single thing past James's laughing face.

She stood shakily, ignoring the awful pain in her head. Kaysa walked to the edge of the building, and nearly shouted for joy. She was in New York City! The Avengers mansion was located here, and she knew it wouldn't be too difficult to find. Once she reached the mansion, it would be easy to contact her parents.

"Where am I?"

Kaysa jumped, whirling around. She had completely forgotten about the boy. He was sitting up, staring at her in confusion, his green eyes darting from her to their surroundings. He looked young, probably thirteen or fourteen.

"Who are you?" He asked, his eyes narrowing.

"My name is Kaysa," she told him. It was then that she noticed the spear right next to the boy. Her spear. _What is going on? _She asked inwardly. She briefly wondered if the boy had brought her here, but the panicked look in his eyes suggested otherwise.

"Where are we?"

"New York City," Kaysa replied.

"How did we get here?"

"I-I don't know. I just barely woke up." She was surprised at how calm she felt. "What's your name?"

"Rudy."

"Ok, Rudy, I know how you're feeling right now. I have no idea how we got here, or who brought us here. But if you'll come with me, I think I can get us home."

"Why should I trust you?"

She shrugged. "You don't have to. But I'm not here to hurt you, I promise."

Rudy stared at her a long time before he nodded his agreement. "Ok. What's your plan?"

"Well, I don't know about you, but I'm not carrying any cash with me. So, I was thinking we could head over to the Avengers mansion and use the phone there. Don't worry; my dad is one of them so they'll let us in."

He blinked. "Who are the Avengers?"

Kaysa's jaw dropped. "You know the team of superheroes? Earth's mightiest heroes?"

"Wow," he said with a snort. "I don't know who these guys are, but they sound pretty stuck up. Everyone knows the Justice League is the best team."

She drew back slightly. Was this kid insane? "Who are the Justice League? And how have you not heard of the Avengers?!"

"How have you not heard of the Justice League?! Are you living under a rock?"

"Look, I don't know _how _you haven't heard of the Avengers, but right now I suggest we get a move on."

Rudy shrugged. "Fine."

She quickly grabbed her spear before heading for the roof's exit. The building was old and completely abandoned. Graffiti covered every square inch, much to Kaysa's disgust. She never did understand why someone would want to write profanity for everyone to see. It was immature and stupid.

When they reached the sidewalk, she realized just how lost she was. She had never been in this part of New York.

"Excuse me!" She called out to an elderly man. The man smiled warmly at her. "Excuse me, sir, do you know which way the Avengers mansion is?"

"The Avengers mansion? I'm sorry, young lady, but I've never heard of it," he shrugged apologetically and continued on his way.

She stared at his retreating figure in shock. That was the second person she had encountered who didn't seem to know who the Avengers were. She looked back at Rudy, who gave her a shrug.

"Ask everyone you can find if they know the way," she told him. He nodded and walked towards a woman.

The more people Kaysa asked, the more confused she grew. How did nobody know who she was talking about? It made no sense! Everybody knew who the Avengers were! How could they not? The Avengers had saved the world countless of times.

"I don't understand," Kaysa said to Rudy, slumping against the side of building. For nearly an hour they had asked people for directions, but were always met with the same results.

"Maybe they just aren't as big as you think," Rudy said, patting her sympathetically on the back. He dug into his pocket, coming up with some change. "I think I have enough for a phone call. I'll call my parents; they'll be able to help us."

She nodded. "Ok, let's go."

They found a payphone pretty quickly. Rudy deposited the change and then began punching in his parent's phone number.

"Are you sure that's a real number? I've never heard of that area code," Kaysa said.

"It's the area code for Gotham city," he told her with a shrug.

"Gotham city? What's that?"

"Shh," he said, listening intently to the phone. His shoulders slumped as the automated female voice told him he had dialed an incorrect number. "What the heck?"

"You must have the wrong number."

"There's no way," Rudy shook his head. "And how do you not know where Gotham City is? It's one of the largest cities."

"I've never heard of it. It doesn't exist."

Rudy resisted the urge to roll his eyes. There was no way that she didn't know. He walked up to woman. "You know where Gotham City is, right?"

The woman looked down at him with distaste. "Never heard of it."

Kaysa stared at Rudy's shocked expression. He leaned up against a building for support, his eyes wide.

And then it came to her.

"Rudy, you promise me you've never heard of the Avengers? That Gotham City and the League of Justice or whatever it's called, really exist?"

"Yeah?"

She swallowed hard, praying that she was wrong. "None of this makes sense. How people can't seem to remember anything about the Avengers. There are only two explanations. Either, we're totally crazy or…"


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five:

"We're in a different dimension," Ash said, looking over at James.

He nodded, hiding the shock he felt inside. He had suspected something of the sort when he and Ash had first started talking. They had woken up at about the same time, and after the initial distrust, had tried to figure things out together.

"The question is, who did this and why?" He said. "I mean, none of this makes any sense. Why only the two of us?"

"Who says we're the only ones?" She shrugged. "For all we know, our parents are here too."

James didn't argue, but somehow he knew his parents weren't here. By the look on her face, he guessed that Ash didn't really think her parents were either.

Questions swarmed in his head. Was Kaysa alright? It was the question that repeated itself constantly. He felt sort of guilty about it; after all shouldn't it be his family he should be most worried about? Somehow, though, he just knew his family was alright. But Kaysa…

He swallowed hard. She had to be alright. The thought of a world without Kaysa made him shudder. Funny, how you only realize how much you care about someone when you lose them. _You haven't lost her, _he told himself firmly. _She's fine. She's still at home, probably worrying about _you. _Kaysa is alright._

"I think we need to stop worrying about how we got here," Ash said suddenly. "We need to worry about what we're going to do now that we're here."

James looked at her. He didn't really know what to make of the girl. She was tough and so far hadn't shown much emotion. "What do you mean? We're going to find whoever did this to us and make them reverse it."

"And how are we going to do that? Look, James, I have a feeling whoever did this isn't going to show up anytime soon. It's getting dark. I suggest we find someplace to sleep tonight. We don't know what this dimension is like. Let's take some time to try to figure things out. Maybe one of us will eventually remember what brought us here."

"You're right," he nodded. He stood and stretched, then bent down to retrieve his shield. He stared at it for a moment. The shield was some sort of clue, but he couldn't figure it out. He knew he had left the shield at home. The fact that it was here meant something.

The building they were on top was abandoned, so they decided it was as good a place as any. They found a room that was a little safer looking and settled in. James looked over at Ash, wondering what she was thinking.

He closed his eyes and rested his head against the wall. He tried hard to remember how he had gotten here. But the last thing he could remember was Kaysa, laughing with him with that look in her eyes. His throat tightened. Would he ever find out what that look meant? Would he ever see his best friend again?

He thought of all their plans for the summer. Of their determination to train as much as they could, to be the best heroes the world had ever seen.

And then it came to him.

He lunged for his shield, staring at it with wide eyes.

"What is it?" Ash asked, raising an eyebrow at him. "Is everything ok?"

"I think I just figured out why we're here," he told her excitedly. "I mean, of course I can't know for sure, but it's a possibility at least—"

"Just say it," she interrupted.

"Remember how you asked that one man if there were any superheroes around?" He asked. For about half an hour they had gone around, asking everyone questions.

She nodded. "He laughed at me."

"If there aren't any heroes here, then maybe we were sent here to help this world out. That's why my shield is here. That's why _we _were sent here. Because the other dimensions couldn't spare our parents or the other heroes. But they could spare us."

Her eyes widened. "It makes sense! I think you just figured it out!"

His name was Thomas. He went by Tommy. He was skilled at the bow. That's all he could remember.

He stumbled through the alley, confused and lost. Tommy clutched his bow close to him. It was the only thing familiar to him. The only thing that didn't make him want to scream.

A quiver full of arrows was strapped to his back. Another memory flashed through his head. He had made the arrows himself. He remembered feeling proud, turning to someone with a grin, but he couldn't remember anything else.

Tommy fell onto his knees, crawling into a space between a couple of garbage cans. He pressed his hands to his temples. He pushed himself, trying to remember something. Anything. "Damn it!" He growled.

He slumped, exhaustion making his vision blurry. "Help," he whispered. "Please."


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six:

"What in the world are these?" Kaysa asked Rudy, thumbing through the box full of documents.

It was the second day that they had been in this new dimension. Both of them were hungry, and low on spirits. Kaysa felt a lump form in her throat every time she thought of her family. Before, she had thought they had only been separated by miles, not worlds.

"I'm not sure," Rudy replied with a shrug. "They were here when I woke up."

Her eyebrows furrowed together. She bit her lip, pulling out a document. As she read the paper, her eyes grew wider and wider. "It's…It's…"

"It's what?"

"It's a birth certificate," she finished. "Gwendolyn Eloise James. Born in London England on March 9th. Rudy, she has the same birthday as me. Same year and everything."

He pulled a wallet out of the box. "Holy cow! There's like two hundred bucks in here!"

"Let me see," she took the wallet. True enough, two hundred dollars were within the wallet. But what caught Kaysa's attention was the driver's license under the name Gwendolyn Eloise James, and bore her picture. "Rudy, look at this."

He glanced over at it, his jaw dropping. "That's you!"

As they continued searching through the box, they found another birth certificate, this time one that matched Rudy's birthday, under Rudy's same name. Neither of them knew why his was the same, while Kaysa's wasn't. They also found another wallet with four hundred dollars, and many more documents.

"What do you think it means?" Rudy wondered aloud.

She chewed on her lip for a full minute before replying. "I think they were given to us so we can blend in."

His jaw tightened. "You mean, someone was here while we were sleeping?"

"I think so."

Rudy smacked his hand against the ground. "We should have kept a watch! We could have found out who did this to us!"

"Rudy, whoever did this to us was able to transport us to an entirely different dimension, and then erase how he or she did it from our minds. I don't think knocking one of us out would be very difficult."

"Yeah," he sighed. "I know."

She looked at him, her heart sinking at the dejected look on his face. Sometimes he almost reminded her of her brother, Arik. She felt oddly protective of him, even though they had only known each other a short while. "Hey," she said, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Let's take the money and get something to eat. We can worry about everything else later."

His face brightened considerably. "Food? Real food?"

She grinned. "Actually I was thinking fake food sounded pretty good."

"Ha-ha," he said with a snort.

"Come on," she pulled him to his feet and the two headed out of the abandoned building and towards the nearest restaurant. "Denny's ok?"

"Oh yeah!" He replied enthusiastically. "Denny's sounds perfect right now."

They walked into Denny's and ordered as much food as they could eat. Everybody stared at them like they were crazy, but neither Kaysa nor Rudy paid them any attention. Rudy scarfed his food down within minutes, and at her insistence, helped Kaysa finish off hers.

"I don't think I've ever seen anyone eat so much food," Kaysa laughed.

He grinned at her. "You should see my dad, especially after a mission."

"A mission?"

"Oh, I didn't tell you! My dad is a member of the team of heroes back in my home, the Justice League."

"Do you have any powers?"

He nodded. "I can run fast. _Really _fast."

"How fast?" She asked curiously.

"I've been able to run a mile in four seconds," he told her, trying to keep from bragging.

Her jaw dropped. "Four seconds? That's amazing!"

Rudy turned a shade of scarlet red. "Well, what about you? You mentioned your dad was a hero. What can you do?"

"My dad is Thor, God of thunder. Most of my abilities are magic based. I can control elements of the weather, but even I don't really know exactly what I can do. I was actually just about to leave with my family to start my _real_ training before—" she broke off, unable to finish her sentence.

"Your father is a _God?_" Rudy asked, trying to keep her mind off of all that had happened to them. "That's amazing! I think I've actually heard of Thor before. I just didn't know he actually existed."

"I guess in your dimension he doesn't," she said with a shrug.

They chatted for a while, talking about their previous lives. Kaysa told him about her family, about her two brothers, Arik who had just started high school, and Kirk who was still at college. She choked up a little when she thought of Annika. The two of them had been so close…

Rudy told her about running track, about how frustrating it was to have to run so slowly. He told her about his parents, the constant races he had with his dad, the jokes he shared with his mother.

Telling each other these things made them feel so much better. Eventually, they decided they should probably leave. They paid the bill, and then started back to the abandoned building.

"Once," Rudy said. "My dad and I were—"

"Leave me alone!" A feminine voice screamed.

Rudy and Kaysa looked at each other sharply, stopping in their tracks. They walked cautiously to the alley the voice had come from.

A man had a young lady backed up against the wall, pressing a knife to her neck. She sobbed, looking away. "Somebody help me!" She shouted.

"Shut up," the man growled. His hair was tangled and matted, his teeth a sickly shade of yellow. "Give me the purse."

"Hey!" Rudy shouted, appearing right next to the man. He was so fast, that Kaysa barely had time to register it. "Let the lady go. Now."

The man laughed, letting the girl drop to the ground. "And what are you going to do about it, kid?"

Kaysa barely caught sight of Rudy's arm drawing back and then slamming into the man's face. The man fell to the floor, knocked out cold. "No need to thank me," Rudy told the girl with a smile.

The girl screamed, running away from Rudy as fast as she could.

He stood there, blinking. "Well…that was…odd."

Kaysa laughed, nodding in agreement. "That was so awesome though! You weren't kidding! You're wicked fast."

He ran to her side. "Thanks," he replied shyly. "Uh, it was nothing. All I did was hit the dork."

"But you were so quick to respond!" She shook her head at him. "You know, I have a feeling this world needs more people like you."

His eyes lit up. "Kaysa! That's it!"

"What?"

"That's what we should do! Look, I know this might sound a little crazy, but I think I know why we're here. Maybe we're here to be heroes! Think about it. Maybe we have those documents so we can have alias's. So we can be heroes."

She stared at him for a few moments, thinking intently. She thought of her father, of all the good he had done. Kaysa already knew the right thing to do; the _only _thing to do. "I think you're right, Rudy. I think we should do this."

**Thanks to everyone who has been reading my story! You guys rock!**


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven:

Tommy walked through the streets, his stomach screaming at him. A black duffle bag was slung over his shoulder. It contained his bow, arrows, and the documents and money he had found near him that morning. The message was clear; whatever had happened, he was meant to blend in.

Along with the documents and money, a memory came back to Tommy. A memory of sitting on the edge of a rooftop, and staring down at his bow, thinking of all the responsibilities he had. It was when this memory came that he remembered what he was. He was a superhero.

And he wasn't the only one. He couldn't remember any in particular, be he knew he hadn't been the only superhero. He also knew that if he wanted to ever get him memory back, he had to find the others.

But how?

Tommy could barely remember his own name. How was he supposed to find the heroes? He didn't remember where they were, or even what their names were. What if he accidentally went to the _wrong _heroes?

And that was when he saw it. In a deserted alley shrouded in shadows, he saw two kids, both younger than him. _I'm seventeen, _he realized with a start. He didn't have time to celebrate though, as he saw one of the kids, a red-headed boy, run off at an impossible speed. The boy returned with a pen and a piece of paper.

"What's that for?" The girl asked.

"Costume designs," the boy told her with a grin. "Kaysa, please don't tell me that no one in your dimension wore costumes."

_Your dimension? _The boy's words echoed in Tommy's head. With a deep breath, he approached the kids. They looked at him, clearly startled.

"You're superheroes," he said. It wasn't a question. The kids exchanged a glance.

"You must be mistake, sir," the girl, Kaysa, asked with a forced laugh. "Superheroes don't exist."

He pushed down the urge to roll his eyes. "Yes, you are. I saw what he did," he pointed to the boy. "Normal people can't do that."

"Sir—" Kaysa started.

"Look, you don't have to worry. I'm a hero too," he tried to keep the desperation out of his voice. "I need your help. What on earth is going on?"

Kaysa looked around. "Maybe we should go somewhere more private."

"Where?"

"We've been sleeping in an abandoned building," the boy said. "I'm Rudy, by the way."

"Tommy," he replied with a nod.

Kaysa stared at Tommy as both of them processed all the information. She had hoped he had more information to tell them, but he was even worse than her and Rudy. He couldn't remember anything. Only his name and what he had done before he was plucked from wherever he came from.

_And I thought I had it bad, _she thought with pity. He looked so confused, so hopeless. She wished she could help him, but how could she? If there were any ways to bring back somebody's memory, she didn't know of them.

"So, you're going to be heroes?" Tommy asked suddenly. The confusion disappeared, replaced by and odd calm. Kaysa wasn't sure if he was faking it or not.

"Yup!" Rudy replied enthusiastically. He hadn't said a single word since they'd arrived at the building. Had he been this shy when Kaysa had met him?

Tommy was silent for a moment, considering them for a second. "Need an archer?"

"What?" Kaysa and Rudy said at the same time.

He shrugged. "It's one of the only things I remember. Being a hero, that is. I think you two are right; we _are _here to help. I'm not sure I'm totally thrilled with the idea of doing what whoever sent us here probably wants us to do, but the people here seem like good people. At least as good as they were in our worlds. Protecting them is the right thing to do."

A smile lit up Kaysa's face. "You mean, you want to join us? Like a team?"

"If you'll allow me to, then yes."

"Yes!" She said. "This is perfect! Every team needs an archer. Like—" she stopped her eyebrows furrowing. "Tommy…there's no way to confirm this, but I might know who your dad is."

His eyes shot over to her. "Who?"

"Well, back in my world there was a team called the Avengers. My dad was one of them, and another team member also had a bow and shot arrows like yours. His name is Clint Barton, but his alias was Hawkeye. If I remember right, he _did _have a son. I can't remember his name; I never met him."

"Hawkeye," he breathed. It sounded right to him.

Rudy looked down at the pad of paper and pencil in his hands. "So, what are we going to do about costumes?"

"Hmm," Kaysa said, chewing thoughtfully on her lip. The truth was, if her spear still worked in this dimension most of her costume should already be taken care of. She glanced over at it. She wanted to test it, but at the same time it terrified her. She had no idea how to use it. What if she messed up? She knew how powerful her father's hammer had been. If she made a mistake, it could cost someone their life.

"I have to go," she said suddenly, jumping to her feet. Rudy and Tommy both turned their eyes to her, looking startled.

"Where?" Rudy asked.

"Out," Kaysa told him simply. She bent over and picked up her spear. "I have some things I need to take care of."

"But you'll be back, right?" There was a nervous note in his voice.

"Of course," she said with a small smile. "An hour tops, ok?"

She turned and left the room, walking with purpose. She pushed away the nervous feeling in her stomach. When she was out of the abandoned building she broke into a run, barely noticing the people she accidentally bumped into.

She kept good track of where she was heading so that she would be able to find her way back. After a few minutes of running, she came to another slummy abandoned building. Kaysa glanced around her. She had run quite far, towards the more deserted parts of New York City. There were a few people, but most of them were huddled into a corner and asleep.

She went into the building, scrunching her nose at the assortment of smells that assaulted her. The place reeked of filth and urine.

"Hello?" She called out. When no one answered, she proceeded to check all the rooms in the building. After she was satisfied that the building was indeed empty, she found a room where the roof had been completely blown off.

She fell onto her knees, holding her spear in her hands. "Odin," she said, taking a deep breath. "Please. I need your help."

She closed her eyes and tried to remember all her dad had told her about using her power.

_"But _how _do I do it?" _She remembered asking only a couple of days ago.

_Thor laughed at his daughter and shook his head. "It isn't something I can describe. The power is something that comes from inside. When it's time to use your spear, you'll know what to do. I promise."_

Tears blurred Kaysa's vision. She missed her dad so much.

When Kaysa had dreamed of this moment, the moment when she would finally be able to use her full power, she had always imagined her dad and mom at her side, cheering her on. It almost felt _wrong _to be doing it without them.

"You have to do this," she told herself in a whisper. "People are going to need you."

Keeping her eyes shut tight, she stood up. She dug deep inside of herself, searching for the power she knew she possessed.

She gasped as she reached it. Suddenly, she knew exactly what to do. With a yell of triumph, she raised her spear to the sky.

No one but her could explain the lightning that cracked across the sky.


End file.
